


Surprises

by orphan_account



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/F, Look this is all fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 03:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21190493
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: While preparing for the Exalted Council, Cassandra is told by her girlfriend that a surprise is waiting for her! What could it be?





	Surprises

“I have a surprise for you!”  
Those simple words, spoken excitedly by the Inquisitor, managed to immediately bring a smile to Cassandra’s face. The Seeker had spent a remarkable amount of time with the younger Qunari. At first, Cassandra was wary of Ashaya’s presence. A Qunari Mage was something that any enemy of the Inquisition could use as ammunition against them, painting their leader as a mindless brute, capable of turning into a vicious monster at any turn. And yet, the more time Cassandra spent with Ashaya, the more she grew to like her.

The woman had a certain energy about her, something that just radiated life. It was hard for Cassandra to think of the strength required to deal with the constant strain of being in such a position of power and still manage to smile, but Ashaya somehow managed it. She genuinely worked to befriend everyone in her inner circle, and somehow succeeded. Cassandra did not expect to go from interrogating a young, scared woman at swordpoint, to having the same woman actively trying to convince Varric to pen a new chapter of a romance novel, just because Cassandra liked it. The simple earnestness of Ashaya perhaps drew Cassandra in more than anything.

After Corypheus’ death, Cassandra had visited the Qunari in her bedroom. They spoke for what felt like many hours, and during that time, Ashaya confessed that she had a crush on the warrior. Cassandra was shocked. The woman had dealt with people of both genders that had wished to date her before, but Ashaya was something else. She had seen Cassandra not only at her best, but at her darkest moments, consoling the Seeker when all faith in the organisation she had lived her life within had been eroded away. It took several days of thinking before Cassandra came to a decision of what she would do with Ashaya.

The Seeker admitted that she wanted to try. 

The two had been together since that night, spending time together and relaxing on nights alone, helping Leliana from the shadows whenever the Divine needed muscle, and maintaining the strength of the Inquisition. It was surprising to hear that Ashaya had managed to put together a surprise of any form given all the work that the two had been doing, between the Seekers, the Inquisition, and work for the now-upcoming Exalted Council (Cassandra had heard that Leliana’s efforts at keeping Queen Anora and Empress Celene off of their backs had finally began to fail, and that calling a council sooner rather than later would be the best option). Still, Cassandra was seemingly just as excited as her younger lover about the entire affair. 

The 27-year old Inquisitor led Cassandra out of Skyhold, a grin permanently covering the woman’s features. Cassandra realised where Ashaya was leading her, if not why. There was a small building not far from Skyhold, perhaps ten minutes of walking away, that no one seemed to care much for. It was not large enough to serve as a useful tool in the military and is too close to Skyhold for Leliana to benefit from. However, it’s nature as a useless location would be perfect for hiding… something.

When the two reached the old stone house, Ashaya paused for a moment.  
“I hope you like this.” Ashaya spoke.  
“I’m sure I will.” Cassandra placed a hand upon Ashaya’s shoulder. The latter woman nodded, giving her girlfriend a grateful grin, before pushing against the heavy wooden door. The entranceway slowly opened up, and upon seeing what was inside, the Seeker let out a gasp. The place was completely transformed, on the inside! The walls were painted over, and had major damages seemingly buffed out, rugs covered over the floor, with lanterns providing ample light. Near the back of the room, there were a trio of bookshelves, stocked with what Cassandra noticed to be a variety of romance, military history, and magical books.  
“I wanted to do something nice for you, and I thought of a bunch of different things. Eventually I kinda decided I’d give you a place to relax? I thought you’d need it, and-“ Ashaya would have kept rambling, but was silenced by the shorter warrior gripping her collar and pulling her down for a gentle kiss. 

Several seconds later, Cassandra released her girlfriend.   
“Thank you.” It was all she needed to say.   
“It’s no problem at all!” Ashaya rubbed at the back of her neck. “I’m happy you like it.” Stepping inside, Cassandra continued to survey the single-room house. It was modest, but Cassandra found herself liking that.   
“How long did it take you to do this?” Cassandra asked, gently running a finger along one of the walls, studying every inch of what she supposed was their new home.  
“I don’t know, a couple of months?”  
“You’ve been working on this… for months… in secret?” Cassandra spoke incredulously. She cared deeply for Ashaya, but even she was able to admit that the mage didn’t have a subtle bone in her body. Even Sera managed to be more effective at going unnoticed than her.   
“Yeah, I had Leliana’s help. I talked to her and Josephine about it and they both seemed to be really eager to help.” Ashaya shrugged, stepping through the doorway herself.  
“I’m hardly surprised.” Cassandra laughed quietly, sitting down on a nearby seat.

Cassandra simply looked around in awe for several long moments, unsure of what to say. The amount of work that Ashaya must have put into this project was staggering, and it was for her? No one had done such a thing for Cassandra in her life. The Seeker was left without words.  
“I also kinda… might have asked Varric for advance copies of some of his books…” Ashaya spoke, clearly nervous.  
“Really?” Cassandra returned her attention to Ashaya, less surprised and more shocked with what her girlfriend had managed to do.  
“Yeah, had to pull a number of favours through both him and Hawke to get them.” Ashaya laughed, sitting down next to Cassandra.  
“I… don’t know what to say.” Cassandra was being honest when she said that. The shorter woman wrapped an arm around Ashaya, pulling her in close with a smile. “Thank you, my love.”   
“‘Love’?” Ashaya spoke, after a long moment. The woman’s face was neutral. Now it was Cassandra’s turn to be worried.  
“Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry-“ Before Cassandra could finish speaking, Ashaya interrupted her, kissing her herself. Unlike Cassandra’s brief, gentle affair, this kiss was full of passion and breathless energy. 

The breathless part proved to be true, as when Ashaya pulled away from the kiss, a grin once more upon her face, Cassandra had to spend a second unable to speak, simply catching her breath, a similar grin crossing her features.   
“I love you too.” Ashaya spoke first. Cassandra simply smiled.  
“You know, I don’t deserve you.” Cassandra mused.  
“I’m normally the one saying that!” Ashaya chuckled. Cassandra shook her head.  
“Please, my love. Let me have this. You just gave me a house as a surprise gift, I doubt I can top that.”  
“I don’t know, I can think of a fair few ways you can…” Ashaya and Cassandra both laughed at that, relaxed in one another’s arms.


End file.
